Huge haul of illegal cigarettes seized across Derby

Some of the illegal cigarettes and tobacco seized by Trading Standards officers working for Derby City Council

Almost £250,000 worth of illegal cigarettes have been seized over a number of months, a council has said.

Trading Standards officers in Derby said 400,000 cigarettes and more than 100kg of hand-rolling tobacco - either illicit or counterfeit - had been pulled from shelves since February.

The seizures form part of a nationwide operation called Op CeCe.

Derby City Council said it would "continue to clamp down" on illegal sales.

The authority has used specially trained dogs to sniff out the illegal products - some items have been found hidden behind fake walls or in secret compartments.

Counterfeit tobacco products are a "serious risk to health" as some products have been found to contain asbestos, faeces, weed killer and mould, council officers said.

'Organised crime'

Derbyshire Police, which works alongside Trading Standards officers, said some illegal cigarette operations were linked to organised criminal gangs.

Jerry Pearce, a cabinet member at Derby City Council, said: "Our Trading Standards team is playing its part in tackling this trade, which has a complex profile and links to organised crime. The trade in Illicit cigarettes steals business away from legitimate retailers by undercutting costs set by government.

"We will continue to clamp down on the illegal sales of such goods and ensure the people in Derby are safe from traders who break the law."

Insp Rachel Fowkes from Derbyshire Police also urged people to continue to report traders who could be selling illicit or counterfeit tobacco products.

"We are grateful for the support of our communities, and our team will continue to work with partner agencies to investigate and act on information passed to us about counterfeit and illegal products to ensure we keep consumers safe and stand up for legitimate traders."